Citizens have concerns about impact of noise, and about environmental effects on water and wildlife

Citizens have unanswered questions about a huge power project in Nation Municipality [Photo: Ontario Farmer/PostMedia]

August 28, 2017

Wind power developer RES Canada has scheduled the final Open House events for the Eastern Fields wind power project in The Nation, east of Ottawa. The Nation includes St Bernardin and Casselman.

The power project proposed would be 32-megawatt capacity, and cost Ontario almost $140 million over the 20-year contract. Ontario is currently in a situation of surplus power, and is regularly selling off surplus power as well as paying power producers to “constrain” or not to produce.

For example, the corporate power developer has not actually confirmed the type of turbines it will use, but has provided a Noise Impact Assessment Report based on computer noise modeling for a type of Vestas wind turbines.

There are questions too about studies of waterways and groundwater, and how the wind turbine foundations will affect the ground. The Nation has Leda Clay which can be unstable.

The water issue is of special concern as property owners in Chatham-Kent are now experiencing contaminated water or Black Water as vibration from turbine construction and operation has been implicated in disturbing aquifers, and causing toxic heavy metals to contaminate wells.

Another concern is the company’s response to complaints of excessive noise and vibration. Wind Concerns Ontario received documents under Freedom of Information legislation showing that thousands of noise complaints have been filed since 2006, very few of which have had any response or resolution. RES Canada’s Talbot development was the source of hundreds of noise complaints. The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) leaves response to noise complaints up to the power developers, in spite of the Ministry’s mandate to protect the environment and health.

There will be two Open Houses, the final events before the developer files documents for a Renewable Energy Approval.

Council for the municipality of Nation, just east of Ottawa, met last evening and decided to reverse a motion of support for two wind power projects, in St Bernardin and St Isidore. Nation is now Not A Willing Host to wind power projects, making it the 90th community in Ontario to reject wind power proposals. The community group Save The Nation/Sauvon La Nation held a huge public meeting last week, and revealed that council had passed the support motion with no public discussion or input. The majority of residents are opposed to the power projects on the grounds that the potential for environmental damage is significant, and the impact on agriculture and the social fabric of the communities would be extensive. “We are not for sale,” said Julie Leroux of Save The Nation in an interview. EDF of France had claimed it has spent hundreds of thousands wooing the community, paying for hockey dinners and other events designed to sway farm owners to sign leases for the project. See the story from CTV News here: http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/residents-of-nation-east-of-ottawa-fight-wind-turbine-projects-1.2510730 Related story: the town of Essex last night voted not to support a new wind power project, saying they want no more wind turbines. There are now 91 Not A Willing Host communities in Ontario.